QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Kenai, AK

No earthquake was likely felt in Kenai in the 24 hours to 12:44 pm AKST (21:44 UTC). The last one was M 4.3, 43 km (27 mi) SSE, at 2:30 am AKST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 115 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Kenai

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Kenai, AK, at 4:25 am AKST on 5 January 2026 (13:25 UTC), 42 km deep.

USGS: 2 km W of Point Possession, Alaska

56 km (34 mi) SW of Anchorage, AK

4:25 am AKST, Jan 5, 2026 · · 42 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Kenai Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Anchorage Municipality 83 kmKenai Peninsula Borough 106 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
4:25 am AKST on 5 January 2026 ()
Where
50 km (31 mi) northeast of Kenai, AK · earthquakes near Kenai
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
42 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Anchorage Municipality, 83 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 310 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Kenai, 50 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.8 on 2022-07-12 — about 7,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 Southern Alaska · 28 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.8 4 km NE of Beluga, Alaska · 32 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.8 24 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska · 35 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.7 6 km WNW of Nikiski, Alaska · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.4 19 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska · 18 km W of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 60.9210, -150.7300. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Anchorage Municipality, AK 83 km (51 mi) ENE earthquakes near Anchorage Municipality
Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 106 km (66 mi) SW earthquakes near Kenai Peninsula Borough

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

59 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.9 17 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  2. 2.0 13 km S of Point Possession, Alaska
  3. 1.6 25 km ESE of Point Possession, Alaska
  4. 1.8 18 km ENE of Point Possession, Alaska
  5. 1.7 10 km W of Point Possession, Alaska
  6. 1.7 2 km ENE of Point Possession, Alaska
  7. 2.0 11 km W of Point Possession, Alaska
  8. 1.6 5 km SSE of Tyonek, Alaska
  9. 2.5 11 km ENE of Beluga, Alaska
  10. 2.1 10 km NNE of Sterling, Alaska
  11. 1.9 6 km E of Soldotna, Alaska
  12. 1.9 25 km W of Anchorage, Alaska
  13. 1.8 28 km ENE of Sterling, Alaska
  14. 2.0 16 km SW of Point Possession, Alaska
  15. 1.9 3 km NE of Point Possession, Alaska

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.